Book 5: Cycle
by RoystonDA
Summary: Korra and Asami begin their journey in the Spirit World. But something waits for them in the Forest of Hidden Pasts.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I was planning for this to be a one shot, but halfway I decided it could be the beginning of the next book. Read, review, enjoy!**

**Update: For some reason, Chapter 2 is not being shown, but I assure readers that it is in fact there. I am emailing FanFiction to fix this. Please check back.**

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><p>They arrived in the Spirit World, the green and gold glow from the spirit portal still holding them in it's warmth. Korra went to take a step out of the portal then stopped. She grabbed Asami's hand again, looking into her eyes.<p>

"C'mon... we'll do it together" she chirped. Asami smiled at her and nodded. They both turned towards the edge of the portal and synchronized a step onto the blossoming flowers in front. The two then pulled themselves away from the glowing portal, fully emerged into the Spirit World and out of the Physical World. Asami looked around, her eyes drinking in the beauty of the world brand new to her.

"Wow... it's amazing..." she dropped her gaze onto Korra, who was beaming at her in delight at seeing the pure wonder in her friend's eyes. Asami's face broke out in a smirk. "How come you never brought me here before?"

"When have we ever had the chance for a vacation before? Besides, it's kinda cool that you haven't been here until now." Korra looked away slightly, blushing. She looked back to Asami out the corner of her eyes and tried to fight off an embarrassed smile. "I get to act like your tour guide". Asami giggled, covering her lower lip with her hand.

"Ok, I know you're 'The Avatar' and the bridge between the two worlds, but from what you and Tenzin have told me, the Spirit World would serve as a better tour guide than you" she giggled again. Korra hung her head in a sulk, arms dangling in a shamed surrender.

"Your faith in me is so overwhelming right now..." Korra mumbled under her breath. Asami approached her and cupped Korra's hands in hers, lifting her arms up. Korra raised her head, the smile on her face easily returned.

"Korra, right now... you are everything I have faith in." Korra released her hold on Asami's hands, preferring the feel of her torso, wrapping her arms around her. Asami immediately responded in kind and began to nurse Korra's head, holding it close to her chest and slowly closed her eyes. The two remained silent for a moment, enjoying the intimate embrace. Asami opened her eyes, taking in the moment around her.

The purple shinning at their feet. The soft and caring glow of the spirit portal. A small group of spirits, which she thought looked like swan foxes, dancing around each other playfully. The orange grassy field ahead of them, to the purple mountains in the distance. A rainbow display of colours surrounded them in a sweet harmony, from the flowers, to the grass, the spirits to the mountains. Korra to Asami. Korra pulled back slightly, arms still firmly clinging to Asami's waist. Asami looked down to her to see that Korra's smile still remained, and Asami still showing the wonder she displayed on the moment they arrived. "You're doing really well as a tour guide"

"But I've not shown you anything yet"

"Yes..." Asami began. She moved back a touch and lowered her hand to Korra's once more. Asami turned to the field with the swan foxes. Korra followed Asami's gaze and turned to look out to the fields also. "You have".

"If you think this is cool, I know a place you are bound to like" Korra said gleefully.

"Where's that?" asked Asami, not taking her eyes off of the view.

"Have you ever heard of Wan Shi Tong?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Do you know of any spirits?" Korra asked, raising an eyebrow in delight. She realised that she's not usually more knowledgeable about spirits than someone else, only knowing what her uncle taught her. Nor is she ever more knowledgeable of something than Asami.

"Not really. There's Boom Ju" Asami went on.

"He doesn't really count. Yeah, he's a spirit, but he's more like a pixie with a walrus pig moustache" Korra went quiet after her last comment. "I think I'm ruining the mood"

"No, no. I find Boom Ju's moustache cute" Asami giggled, trying to boost Korra's attempt.

"So Wan Shi Tong... he owns the one thing that I can't imagine you without" Asami blushed at the remark. She tried to speak but her throat suddenly felt dry. "Books!" Korra shouted happily, throwing her arms in the air with excitement.

"You can't imagine me without a book?" Asami said, a little stunned.

"More like I can't imagine you not being smart"

"Are you saying I'm a bookworm?"

"No... you're a grease jockey" Asami thought for a moment.

"I'm good with that" the two girls then giggled. Korra pulled on Asami's hand, making their way towards the field. "Just out of curiosity, do you actually know where you're going?"

"Not a clue. I just figured I'd walk until I recognised somewhere."

"And how long would that take?" Asami asked.

"The Spirit World likes to move around. It shouldn't be too long before it guides me to the Xai Bau's Grove, or maybe Iroh's house"

"General Iroh lives in the Spirit World?" Asami shouted, stunned.

"Yeah. I was surprised too, I didn't know he could do that" Korra pauses for a moment. "You meant General Iroh of the United Forces... didn't you?"

"You didn't?"

"No. Actually I was talking about Zuko's uncle" Korra mumbled.

"Wow... Fire Lord Zuko is pretty old" Asami wondered "his uncle must be nearing a hundred and fifty years old"

"Not really. He doesn't age anymore" Korra stated bluntly. "Things don't work the same way here. You don't go hungry, can't gain or lose weight, but you can still eat."

"This place really is amazing. I guess I don't have to watch what I eat anymore." Asami smirked. Her thoughts quickly went to the baked goods from the coffee shop she would take Bolin to. "What else is different here?"

"That was all I know. Iroh told that to me when he invited me for some tea. And now I'm feeling a little dumb again"

"Korra, you're not dumb. You are very wise, I mean you're the Avatar! Who's wiser than you?" Korra blushed again. She didn't look to Asami, but she could feel her stare burning on her cheek. Korra tightened her grip on Asami's hand and leaned in closer as they walked, entangling their arms together. Asami carefully placed her chin on top of Korra's head, trying not to knock together as they stepped, then nuzzled onto her head. They walked like this for a while, Korra with her eyes focused on the fingers tangling and playing with each other, and Asami, eyes looking around at the amazing sights. Asami looked down to Korra after some time and asked "Aren't you supposed to be guiding me?" Korra snapped her head up, looking around frantically.

"Oh you're right! And er... we should be careful. This place has it's dangers as much as the Physical World" she continued to look around carefully.

"What kind of dangers are there?" Asami asked.

"We've been here no more than twenty minutes and you've already asked more than twenty questions" Korra grumbled.

"I'm curious"

"That's what I'm hoping" Korra whispered.

"What?"

"This feels familiar!" She quickly changed the subject, though not entirely on purpose. She lifted herself away from Asami, who simply stared at her. "I've not been here before... but it does feel... like I know it". She looked around slowly. They found themselves in a forest, with trees of all sizes.

"You have no idea where we are, do you..."

"No... I do... I just can't figure out why..." she trailed off.

"Maybe we should just ask for directions?" Asami suggested. Korra rolled her eyes and grinned at Asami.

"From who? There's no one arou-" Korra began, but before she could finish, a loud and heavy rumble came from inside of the trees.

"NO... NO HUMAN!" a voice roared out "GO AWAY HUMAN!"

"Korra...?" Asami called out. Korra turned around, grabbed Asami's hand and began to run, dragging the other girl with her.

"I get the feeling we don't want to meet that spirit!" yelled Korra, back to Asami. She looked back and saw a creature emerge from the tree. The spider spirit with a bad attitude came racing out after them. "Tenzin told me about her!"

"What is that thing!?" Asami cried out behind her.

"A spirit!" Korra replied.

"I get that part, but what does it want!?"

"How should I know? All I know is it takes us to a place, and we don't want to go there!" The two ran, but it didn't last for long. Asami could feel it catching up behind them, hearing it's breath and preparing itself to attack. Korra span around, trying her best to throw Asami out of harm's way. She threw a blast of fire at the spirit as it shot out a web. It burned up, catching the spirit off guard. Korra jumped onto an air scooter and zoomed around to the back of it as it tried to keep up with her. She stopped and threw another blast of fire at it. It recoiled from the blast and rolled over in pain. Asami jumped up as it rolled towards her. It spotted her and tried to get to its feet. Korra raised a puddle of water, freezing it over the spirits face. She continued to firebend at it, breathing heavily with each shot of fire "Don't. You. Dare. Touch her!" she screamed.

"Korra, look out!" The spirit broke free from the ice, shooting a web at Korra. It stuck to her feet, locking them in place. Korra fell down to the ground, landing harshly onto her shoulder. "Korra!" The spirit turned back to Asami.

"HUMANS ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!" roared the creature. Asami ran at it, attempting to out manoeuvre the beast. But it wasn't any use. The creature shuffled its legs, kicking Asami down to the ground. It shot a web at her, tangling her inside.

"Asami! No!" Korra cried. She pushed at the web around her feet, spinning out of it in a blaze of fire. She ran after the spirit, Asami sliding behind it, and tried earthbending a wall to block it off. Again, it was useless. The creature simply crawled over it, bringing Asami over with it. Korra tried knocking the wall over, to squash the beast before it pulled Asami completely over the wall. It almost worked. The wall crushed it's leg, just before Asami went under. Korra bended the wall to wrap itself around the spirit. Once more, the spirit foiled her plan. It broke free and scurried off with Asami. Korra used firebending to speed after it, but it disappeared. Korra stopped and stood for a moment. She looked in every direction trying to figure out which way it went. It was hard to tell in the Spirit World. There were no signs to indicate where it went, no way of tracking it. Korra felt her eyes begin to sting, and begin to fill. She didn't flinch to wipe them away, being too worried about Asami.

A noise behind her made her jump. "Asami!?" she choked, her throat sore with sorrow.

"What's an 'Asami'?" a voice shouted back, a hint of annoyance in it.

"Who are you, what do you want?!" Korra pulled herself together, using her anger to help her keep focus.

"I know you... I think from a long time ago..." the voice said. Korra bobbed her head to the side, trying to spot where the voice was coming from. Then, a tall spirit with grey fur made its way out of the bush. "Who are you, human?" Korra smiled and ran towards the spirit.

"Stinky!" she yelled, embracing him in a hug and lifting him off the floor.

"My name is not Stinky!... where did you even hear that name!?" it yelled back, annoyed. Korra put the spirit down.

"It's me... the Avatar. Wan... I'm Stinky" Korra tried to explain, carefully. The spirit looks back at her in confusion. It takes a moment but he then smiles.

"Stinky... I remember you! You came back!" The spirit then hugs Korra in return, lifting her into the air. He put her back down.

"I need your help. My friend was just taken by a spirit"

"Judging on where we are, I'd say it was on it's way to the Fog of Lost Souls" the spirit replied.

"You know where it is?" Korra said, hopefully.

"Well of course I do. Some of the humans in there are my entertainment" Korra looked amazed by the comment.

"You've left the fog?"

"Stinky, I am a spirit. The Fog only affects humans and their souls. Now follow me!" the spirit burst into a run and vanished within the forest. Korra went to run with him but immediately stopped.

"Thanks for waiting..." she groaned under her breath. The spirit reappeared, a look of realization on his face.

"Oh yes. I forgot you were always a little slower than I was." He turned around and began to run again, only this time at a speed that Korra could keep up with.

The two eventually found themselves at the edge of a chasm, the fog filling to the top. "If your friend is already inside that, she's already gone insane. She won't come easily"

"I won't leave her here" Korra said, determined. The two stepped forwards, leaning over the edge. The ground shakes, making Korra and the spirit wobble, nearly falling in. The sound of many legs rushing towards them made Korra turn around, hope still in her heart. "That's it" the spider spirit approached them, Asami now unconscious behind her. Korra and her spirit friend jumped towards the beast. Korra shot blasts of fire at it's face, then earth bended the ground, collapsing it beneath it. The spirit ran around to the back and cut the webbing along Asami's body, freeing her. He picked her up and sped away.

"Stinky! Your friend is safe!" the spirit called up to her. She looked down, seeing Asami safe, lumped over his shoulder. She landed on the creature, then flipped off of the back of it, airbended against her and tried to force her into the fog. "That won't do anything to it! She's a spirit!" She pushed another tunnel of air at the beast, causing it to topple down into the gorge. As she fell, Korra slammed down onto the edge, bending the ground, and forced a landslide to pile on top of it.

"It'll give us time to get away" she yelled, rushing back to the two.

"HUMANS!" they heard it cry. They could hear it scurrying up the side. Korra and the spirit ran fast. The sound of scurrying came faster and louder. She closed her eyes tight. Within a moment her eyes were bright with the glow of Raava. She grabbed the spirit who named her Stinky and still holding Asami, then used an air scooter at speed, firebending to speed it along.

"Next time, I carry you, Stinky." the spirit said, annoyance returned to his voice. The sound of the other spirit disappeared. Korra relaxed, leaving the Avatar State. Her friend jumped off of her, gently placing Asami on the floor. "She looks like her squishy head was hit while that thing was carrying her" Korra rushed to her side, placing a hand over her head, brushing against her hair. "I have an Oasis nearby, much like the one I lived at in the Physical World. Placing her in the water there would do her some good." Korra delicately picked her up, her arms curled up on her chest.

"Thank you. For everything" Korra replied. She lowered her head down to Asami's, and gave her a gentle but affectionate kiss on the cheek. Asami groaned at the contact, then fell silent again. The two began to walk. It took Korra a while to realize that the Spirit World's sky had gone dark, it wasn't until the sun started peaking through the clouds that she had noticed. As they walked, she could feel Asami wriggling.

"That human is going to fall out of your hands" the spirit said, the annoyance masking the caringness in his voice.

"How far are we?" Korra asked, keeping her voice low.

"We're here. Just behind those bushes" he replied. He ran ahead and Korra could hear him yelling "I told you, not while I'm gone! You've been sitting in on my leaf again!" Korra reached the bush and saw a small group of tiny spirits flying away in a hurry. The Oasis, Korra thought, looked almost identical to the one Avatar Wan found when he first met this spirit, only more beautiful. The rocks seemed to shine and glitter a blue and black, while the water glowed a brilliant purple. They stepped over the bridge and onto the tiny island. Korra takes Asami to the edge and jumps down into the water. She slowly lowers her head onto the surface of the water, her hair soaking up the glow.

"Don't worry, she won't sink" the spirit said, reassuring Korra. "But it seems that was a harder knock to the head than I thought"

"I know how to heal using water bending. And with the spirit water, it'll be easy" she replied. Korra let go of Asami, and began to allow her arms to flow around her. The glow of the water started to pulsate, building up around the head. The glow got brighter, then suddenly died down, back to the dimmed lining. Korra lowered her arms to her side, eyes closed. She waited for a moment.

"Stinky..." she heard the spirit say, but she ignored him. She continued to wait, not sure why, but she waited. She knew Asami would be fine, it was only a bump, she would do worse working in the garage. Maybe because it was Asami, maybe because she trusted Korra to look after her in the Spirit World. Was she more upset about her getting hurt, or breaking the trust?

"Korra..." a hand reached out to hers. Korra quickly opened her eyes and looked to Asami, whose smile became a huge comfort to her. Korra leaped forward, holding Asami in her arms, who in turn also held on tightly. "It's all right, I'm fine"

"You were in danger, and it was my fault" Korra choked out.

"But you looked after me. Look at where we are. No matter what happened, we're both fine" Asami comforted. They held onto the hug for a few more moments. Asami looked up from the purple pool, up to the rock and saw the spirit friend. "I think we have an audience" His eyes went a little wide.

"You'll find that this is my home" he spat back at her. The girls parted from the hug, Korra turning to the spirit. "You should be grateful I let you use it"

"Oh c'mon, be nice. I know you have a soft spot for some humans" Korra reasoned. "Asami, this is an old friend of mine"

"And you've never come back to visit!" he yelled.

"Apparently today he likes to be dramatic" Korra laughed. "I'm sorry. I don't know if my other lives remembered you... but Wan wanted me to know" the spirit tried his best not to seem to sentimental at the mention of Wan. He stuck his nose up, which only brought a smile to Korra's face. She turned back to Asami "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Better than ever. Really. My head has never felt this great"

"Yeah... I kind of went over board on the healing... spirit water and all that" Korra blushed. Asami merely smiled back at her and then leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. Before she reached her, Korra turned into her, catching Asami's lips. It was brief, lasting only a moment. Asami pulled back after noticing what had happened.

"That... was new" she finally said.

"I'm sorry, I just-" Korra began.

"No, it was fine. I liked it. It was just my first... er..."

"Girl?" Korra asked.

"Yeah... to think the last lips we both touched were Mako's." The girls giggled, standing up and made their way to the miniature island. The spirit pulled the two out of the water and they sat beneath a large leaf. Asami sat down first, then Korra snuggled up next to her, resting her head on the girls lap. She noticed that her clothes were no longer wet, nor was her hair. "It may not be a book, but this place is still really cool"

"It was more than a book, it was an entire library" the spirit looked up, surprised.

"Library? Surely you don't mean Wan Shi Tong?" he asked, annoyance replaced with concern.

"Yeah" said Asami, quickly. "Korra was telling me about him earlier"

"Stinky... you can't go near him. He's been angrier at humans ever since harmonic convergence. It's likely he'll kill you"

"I guess we'll just have to be careful" Korra thought.

"Because that worked so well today" said the spirit.

"Hey, don't get sassy with me" she snapped back.

"We don't have to see the library, Korra, this place is amazing enough. Let's just enjoy ourselves." Asami said. She brushed Korra's hair back, resting her hand on her cheek. "And... I kinda want to talk to you about... what _this_ is" she smiled when she finished talking. Korra gave a nervous smile in return.

"What do you think it is?" she asked, weakly. She knew exactly how she felt, and she thought she knew how Asami felt. Maybe she misread it. The way the two of them have been over the last few months, Korra couldn't stop thinking about her while she was away for those three years. She started to worry it was just one sided. Maybe Asami was just returning close friendship.

"So I've got to be the one who says it first?" she laughed in reply. Korra's heart jumped, her worries and her hopes felt as if they were racing each other to the finish line, the winner being determined by Asami's next words. "Well... I guess it's new for me... but... I like it. I mean I like... you, Korra" and there it was. The hopes crossed the finish line first. Korra rolled tighter into Asami's body, gripping at her clothes. Asami smiled and brushed at Korra's hair again, pushing a tuft behind her ear.

"I feel the same way" she murmured into Asami's body. Asami may have been smiling, but inside she was scared. She feared that Korra was going to say no, to say sorry. To hear her say those words made a warm sensation wash over her. Asami nudged Korra, inviting her to sit up. Korra obliged and was rewarded with a tight hug. Asami nuzzled into Korra's neck, breathing her in. They both sat happy, enjoying the moment.

"I see..." remarked the spirit "made a third wheel in my own home..." he walked away from the scene, allowing the two to share the moment between them. The moment lasted more than a few seconds, maybe even more than a few minutes. Korra knew the world they were in had different ways of passing time, but maybe this was normal. Eventually Asami pulled back, her arms sliding down Korra's front, allowing Korra to hold onto her still. The two girls stared at each other, not wanting to lose the intensity of what they were feeling. But it was Korra to move first. She inched forwards, making sure not to go too fast. Her blood raced to her head, filling her lips. She couldn't tell if Asami's had done the same, they were always so perfect. She waited for a movement from Asami, then it finally happened. The other girl closed her eyes and moved closer. Before they knew it, their lips met, this time, neither pulled away. They were happy.


	2. Teaser: Chapter 2

**AVATAR: THE LEGEND OF KORRA**

**BOOK 5: CYCLE**

**CHAPTER 2: THE SPIRIT GUIDE**

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><p>Within the Spirit World, deep inside the Forest of Hidden Pasts, a man sat upon a tree stump, meditating. Calm, quiet and waiting. A spirit, somewhat swan fox in appearance, ran towards the man and stopped by the base of the stump. The man opened his eyes and stared intently at the spirit that stared back, neither blinking.<p>

"The Avatar... is in danger..."

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><p><strong>COMING THIS CHRISTMAS<strong>


	3. The Spirit Guide

**A/N: Happy New Years everyone. I wanted to get this published before the end of 2014. I will admit now that I so badly need to learn how to plan a story better. Hope you enjoy and would love to read what you thought.**

**Update: For some reason the chapter was inaccessible to users when I originally posted this around 5 hours ago, so hopefully this has fixed the issue.**

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><p>The night felt warm to Korra. She had gotten used to the warmer nights in Republic City compared to the frosty ones in the South Pole. The Spirit World didn't normally change weather, or even have a night, but she was aware how the inhabitant's emotions could change it. As the Avatar, it caused a greater change than any spirit. Korra went to roll over, then felt the arms that were draped over her. She gently placed her hand on the arm, stroking it down to the hand, then raised the hand to her mouth, kissing it softly. She tried to look behind her, but she couldn't see if Asami was awake or not. Though she knew she was asleep. Korra, as carefully as she could, turned over, making sure Asami's arm stayed comfortably around her. After she settled and got comfy, she looked over the face of her new girlfriend. Her first girlfriend, she thought.<p>

"_How did she do that?" _she thought _"she made it so easy to like her that way." _she blushed as her thoughts started to embarrass her. She snuggled closer to Asami, laying her head in front of the other. She closed her eyes and attempted to get back to sleep, but it was in vain. Her body wasn't tired and neither was her mind. She opened her eyes again, rolling them. She glanced over Asami's hair and could see what appeared to be the sun rising. This, she knew, meant she was no longer sleepy. It took no more than two minutes for the sky to light up into a normal early afternoon. Asami pressed her eye lids together tight. She carefully peeled an eye open and lazily looked about. All she could make out was a shadow laying down beside her and that her arm felt very cosy.

"Morning..." she growled, still barely awake.

"Morning" Korra giggled back. "You sound rough" Asami's eyes snapped open.

"We fell asleep together last night!" Asami yelled loudly. Korra shifted back, getting away from the sudden volume in Asami's voice.

"Yeah. I thought it was nice... is that ok?" she replied. Asami shifted herself so that her body weight was resting on her arm.

"Of course, but... you know what, it doesn't matter" she tried to shrug it off. Asami then span around and sat bolt up right. Her hands quickly going for her hair, patting it down. Korra moved up, feeling a little more nervous.

"Are you sure? You're kinda... acting weird" she said as delicately as she could. Asami's hands dropped and she hung her head.

"Don't laugh" Korra popped up an eyebrow and tilted her head to poke around Asami.

"Don't laugh at what?"

"I've... never slept next to anyone before..." she admitted. Korra's worry turned to amusement.

"Well you did a good job. I'm happy about it"

"No I mean..." she went to continue, but paused. She took a deep breathe. "I've always had a chance to fix my hair!" the weight was off her chest. Korra looked dumbfounded.

"Wait, you're freaking out because I saw your morning hair?" Asami turned to her, raising her head.

"Have you ever seen me with anything but good hair?" she asked. She reached for her bag and began to root through it.

"Not that I can think of... I can't even think of you without lipstick on either" Korra answered. Asami took out a small tube and twisted the bottom of it, revealing the lipstick inside. "And there it is" she said, a little unimpressed. "Wait" she grabbed Asami's hand holding the lipstick, refusing it to touch her lips. Korra lowered the hand, placing it between them. Asami looked at Korra, a sense of shyness she hadn't experienced for a long time. "You don't need it..." she began, only to receive a look of judgement from Asami. "You don't need it yet" she corrected. She pounced from her spot on the floor, rolling onto Asami, arms wrapped around her. Asami fought back, pushing her over so she was on top, pinning Korra down. Korra raised her head, slowly closing her eyes. Asami understood the gesture and leaned down, granting her partner a kiss. Korra dropped her head back to the floor. A little too hard and made a thump against the rock.

"Were you just trying to stop me getting lipstick on you first thing in the morning?" Asami questioned. Korra gave a cheeky smirk.

"Now you can put it on. And we should probably change" Asami crept off of Korra. Their bed for the night was two open sleeping bags, one for the bed and one for the blanket. Korra stood up and took a stretch. The spirit of whom the oasis belonged to was sat on a boulder, just above them.

"Is night going to become a regular thing here? It's been nearly ten thousand years since I experienced night and I'd prefer to go ten thousand more without another" he whined. The girls looked at him. They had both reached for their tops to get changed, but stopped when he spoke. The spirit sat looking annoyed, and became even more so after a small splash of water slapped him across the face.

"Do you mind?" said Korra. The spirit jumped down from the rock and walked across the bridge, off the oasis, grouching all the way. The girls continued to get changed.

"What did he mean about there being no night? Does it just stay day all the time?" asked Asami, pulling up her trousers.

"I guess so. The weather changes on my mood, so maybe day and night do too. The sun did rise after I woke up..." Korra replied, wrapping the fur around her waist. She looked over to Asami and watched her put her top on. Asami noticed her watching and the two blushed at each other.

"So I have you to blame for the sun in my eyes when I woke up?" Asami accused. Korra smirked and set at putting on her sleeves.

"In my defence, you weren't really tired. It's like I said before, we're not affected by things we experience in the Physical World. We only went to bed because we're used to it" she argued. "The sun set because we wanted it to." Asami finished buttoning up her jacket. She reached into her bag and took out a notebook and a pen.

"So is the sun real here? Or is it like another spirit?" she began jotting notes down.

"I think I played all my cards too soon. I told you everything I knew yesterday" Korra felt her moment of being the smarter of the two had passed. "I honestly have no idea what here is a spirit and what is part of the world." Asami closed her book and placed it back inside of the bag. "Sorry"

"Hm?" Asami blinked in confusion at Korra. "Sorry for what? We're on vacation. We're both exploring new things here, not just me." Korra smiled to herself. It felt nice not needing to have the answer.

"We could still go to Wan Shi Tong's library" she chirped. At the name 'Wan Shi Tong' the aye aye spirit appeared by them.

"Stinky, I told you, you can't go near there!" he pleaded.

"Korra, we don't need to go. I already love it here" Asami piped in. "Let's just discover what else is here, we can find Iroh"

"Yes. Listen to the squishy one. She makes more sense."

"I'm Asami, by the way"

"You're also squishy." the spirit paused. "Stinky and Squishy. I can remember that easier than whatever you just said." Asami scowled at the spirit in disbelief. Korra grabbed her arm and dragged her away.

"How do you put up with him!?" she screamed.

"I don't. Wan did, I just remember. I don't think I would've been able to handle his condescension as well as Wan was able to" Korra confessed.

"So, Avatar Wan...?" Asami hinted.

"Yeah. He was the very first Avatar." Korra fell silent. Her eyes drifted off as they walked.

"You still want them back, don't you?" Asami asked.

"I haven't stopped thinking about them. I thought with everything I've done, I could've brought them back by now. But they're gone. Gone for good."

"We don't know that for sure. There is so much about this world that we don't know, we could find a way to bring them back."

"You're ever the optimist, aren't you." Korra pointed, grinning to Asami.

"I'm an engineer. It's kind of my job to find a solution to a problem" she assured. Their short walk was interrupted as one of the spirits Asami admired the day before approached them, the swan fox. "Hey, little guy" she said, kneeling down to greet it.

"I've seen spirits like this before" Korra noted.

"There were six of them yesterday. They were playing near the spirit portal" Asami recalled. Korra looked at the creature. She didn't know why but there was something about this spirit that made her feel uneasy. Asami reached a hand out to it "can you talk?"

"Asami, don't" she went to say. The spirits eyes began to glow a brilliant white and gazed deep into Asami's. She became hypnotized by the light, unable to move, unable to look away. Korra shielded her eyes from it and tried to block Asami from it too. As soon as she got in the way, the connection was broken and the light died away. Asami slumped backwards, her arms just managing to hold herself up in time. Korra held onto her, easing her short descent. The spirit turned and ran away. "Asami! Are you ok? Can you hear me?" she cried. Asami blinked and looked at Korra.

"Yeah... I'm ok, it didn't hurt me..." she said, unsure of what just happened.

"What happened? What did you see?"

"I'm not sure... it spoke to me..." Korra tilted her head, confused. "It said... go to him"

"Him? Who is 'him'? Did it tell you anything else?" Asami thought for a moment.

"I... saw a man... he was standing in a forest... the Forest of... the forest... of..." she tried to remember.

"Don't worry. You don't have to. Let's go see Iroh. He might know something." Korra helped Asami to her feet. Asami rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on her surroundings.

"How did it do that? How did it talk to me?" she asked.

"Spirits communicate in different ways. They must have forced the visions into your mind" Korra stated, apparently confident in her conclusion.

"Really?" said Asami in disbelief at Korra's Spirit World knowledge.

"I'm mostly making things up at this point" her illusion of confidence shattered, but she kept trying to hold the mask. She took Asami's arm and lead her onwards. Asami had recovered from her encounter and tugged back on hers so they walked arm in arm. Korra looked over at Asami, who kept her eyes forward. She had two encounters that made Korra worry since arriving in the Spirit World. "_Is it too dangerous here for her?_" she thought. "_If we were in the Physical World, she could take care of herself, but here... it's not the same. It's too different._" Asami noticed the silence between them.

"Korra. There is nothing wrong. Please stop worrying." she stated, keeping her eyes forward.

"I'm only worrying because I care about you..." Korra shyly retorted. Asami stopped walking, and turned to Korra, forcing the other girl to do the same. She placed a hand on Korra's cheek, giving her a caring smile. Korra warmed to the touch, grabbing at her hand.

"We've gone through worse."

"But we're supposed to be on vacation, relaxing. Not going to see Iroh because of a sinister vision" Korra lurched forward, embracing Asami into an tight hug. Asami hugged back, trying her best to comfort her.

"Ok... what should we do?" she asked after some silence.

"We'll go see Iroh... but we won't mention the spirit." Korra moved away from the hug to look at Asami. "How about that?" they smiled at each other. Asami nodded in agreement. Their attention was caught by the sound of a twig snapping. Korra quickly turned to it, summoning a flame to her palm. Asami reached her hand into her pocket, removing it with a shock glove on. The girls stood ready.

"It seems my old friends always want to kill me" a voice laughed out. Korra lowered her flame. Iroh emerged from the flora. "But I'm afraid the time to do that has already passed" he continued.

"Iroh!" Korra smiled. She ran up to him for a hug, which was a little too tight, Iroh tried to stifle a pained groan. When she released him, he gave a warming smile to her. Korra turned to Asami, gesturing for her to come over. "Iroh, I want you to meet Asami" she walked over and held her hand out for a hand shake. The other two looked down at her hand awkwardly. She noticed their faces and repeated, forgetting she was still wearing the glove. She quickly whipped it off her hand and gave a wide smile to Iroh, feeling embarrassed.

"It's lovely to meet you, Asami" she reached out her hand again, this time Iroh shook it, planting a kiss on the back.

"And it's an honour to meet you" Asami replied.

"What brings the two of you into the Spirit World today?" he asked them.

"We're on vacation" Korra started "it's been a tough few months, so we wanted to get away"

"Just the two of you?" Iroh questioned, a hint of knowing in his voice. Asami blushed, turning to Korra. "You never know who you will find in life, or who will complete it with you" he smiled and turned to walk away. "You two must be hungry" the girls followed Iroh's steps.

"What brought you this far out from your home?" Korra asked "Looking for another tea pot?"

"Looking for you, actually. From time to time, I also like to get a good nights rest. So it interested me how the sky was dark, but I wasn't sleeping" he smiled, looking back towards them. "I figured it would be you. I sent a Knowledge Seeker to fetch you"

"A Knowledge Seeker?" Asami repeated. Iroh chuckled.

"A spirit who communicates telepathically and is very wise. Quite fitting for a spirit shaped like a fox" the words caused Asami and Korra to stop dead in their tracks. They looked to each other with concern, unsure of whether holding back is an option any more. Iroh noticed the lack of footsteps behind him and turned to face the other two. His face reflected their concern. "Is everything ok, Korra?" he asked.

"We ran into a spirit just now... a swan fox..." Korra began.

"A swan fox spirit?" Iroh echoed back to her, confused. "It's not a spirit I am familiar with. What did it do?" Asami stepped forward.

"It showed me something. It's eyes glowed and gave me a vision" she started to feel ashamed of herself. Korra walked up to her and put her arms around her. "It showed me a man"

"This is very disturbing... the Knowledge Seeker I befriended has not returned since I sent him to look for you this morning. And this swan fox you speak of... sounds as though it is trying to lure you" Iroh speculated.

"Lure me? Lure me into what?" Korra asked.

"I'm not sure. What did you see of this man, Asami?"

"He was in a forest. I can't remember what it was called, but he was looking at me. Like he was trapped. It said 'go to him'"

"Hmm... I managed to predict that part, at least" he jokingly said, trying to make light of the situation. He saw the serious faces of Korra and Asami then coughed to cover up the humour. "You say you can't remember the forest, Asami?" he asked. Asami simply nodded.

"This guy, whatever he wants, he can't do anything from where he is. Like you said, he's trapped" Korra argued.

"I am not so sure. This spirit you describe sounds like something similar to the Knowledge Seekers. And if he is able to command them, then there may be a lot more he can do." Iroh turned to walk away.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Korra called.

"I must go to the spirits that I have befriended and see that they are alright" before Korra or Asami could reply, Iroh vanished.

"Well he was a lot of help" Korra moaned. "I think we may have to cut our vacation short after all." she turned to Asami, annoyed by her own conclusion. Asami placed a hand on her shouder.

"Don't worry about it. We can still enjoy ourselves while we're here... but now we just have work to do" she reassured her. Korra smiled at Asami then grabbed her hand.

"So let's have some fun first" She pulled her as she ran back towards the direction of the oasis, laughing. As they arrived, they expected a rude greeting from the aye-aye spirit, but were delightfully surprised when he wasn't there. Korra let go off Asami's hand and began stripping off to her underwear. Asami followed suit. Korra then ran up one of the rocks around the edge of the mini island and dived into the water. Asami again followed, tucking as she jumped in. The two started to splash each other in the water and swam around each other. They enjoyed the moment, trying to forget the troubles that arose since their arrival.

After a relaxing play in the water, the two got out. Asami went to reach for a towel, then noticed she was already dry.

"I better not get used to that" she thought out loud. Korra sat up on the ledge of the small island, watching Asami re-dress. She then noticed something. She looked around quickly, but couldn't spot the spirit that lived her. "_He hasn't shown up all _day" She thought. Korra admitted she didn't know him very well and he might have changed over the last ten thousand years, "_but this oasis is his home_".

"Asami... you know what Iroh was saying about the missing Knowledge Seeker?" she asked, jumping out of the water completely. "Where's this spirit?" Asami looked around, the realization dawned on her also.

"Ok, we've had some fun. So now what?" Asami asked.

"You go to the forest..." a voice interrupted. Iroh once again emerged to their surprise.

"Iroh! Has the Knowledge Seeker returned?" said Korra.

"I'm afraid not. But one of my friends told me where he was last seen... I can only assume it has something to do with you. He was heading into the Forest of Hidden Pasts" he stated. Korra reached for her garments and dressed herself quickly.

"Why was he going there?" she asked.

"Who knows. When you gave the Spirit World a night, I asked him to seek out the Avatar."

"Well I'm clearly not there. Who ever this guy is, he must have done something to the Knowledge Seeker. Tricked it somehow. Maybe even..." she hesitated. As if on cue, she spotted the very spirit she was thinking about: the swan fox. She didn't say anything, she just started walking towards it. Asami immediately followed. They reached the spirit and Korra knelt down. She looked it in the eyes and said "Show me where he is." It did as instructed. It's eyes started to glow their whiteness, drawing Korra into the trance. Iroh looked to it, slightly disturbed. He turned and walked away from the scene.

Korra found herself in the Forest, standing on top of a stump. A man walked up to her, reaching out his hand. She took it and he helped her down, onto the grass. He didn't say anything, but she heard the voices.

"_Avatar. You are in danger here_" he let go of her hand and turned to face the trees. Around the base of each tree sat a group of spirits. Not tied up, or held by any means, but resting, unconsciously. Korra walked towards the trees and took a look at each of them. She saw that one was a fox, the Knowledge Seeker. She began to search, checking each spirit. There were some she recognised from previous visits to the Spirit World. Small spirits, large spirits, nearly one of every kind of spirit she had encountered. She stopped and saw him. The aye-aye. He was there, unconscious. She turned to face the man, still stood at the stump. "_We are all in danger here_" the voices said.

Korra snapped back to reality, collapsing into Asami's arms. She had her eyes clenched shut, her head in pain. As she tried to open her eyes, she saw the swan fox running away.

"It's heading there..." she moaned, trying to control her headache. "It's heading to the forest" she placed her hand on the ground. She felt her energy pass into the floor and followed the path of the spirit. Korra saw the spirit running, ahead of it was the forest. She lifted her hand up. The headache started to mellow down. Asami helped her to her feet.

"What did it show you?" Asami asked.

"Spirits. A lot of spirits, trapped inside the forest. It's like they were kidnapped" she replied, regaining composure.

"Did the man do it?"

"I don't think so... he was telling me not to go. He said they were all in danger, even me" she revealed. Asami placed a hand on Korra's shoulder, comfortingly.

"I know what you're thinking. I know you could never rest knowing people are in a danger you could prevent..."

"I have to..." Korra said softly.

"I also know I wouldn't have you any other way... it's why I..." Asami had blushed so much over the last couple of days, she couldn't understand how she wasn't used to it already. But every time she or Korra expressed themselves, it felt special each and every time. Korra placed her hand on Asami's and gave her a smile.

"That's one I already know." she stated, proudly. The two began to walk in the direction of the swan fox. They walked at a fast pace, trying to catch up with it. Korra eventually broke into a run, followed by Asami. It didn't take long. Clearly the Spirit World shifted itself to help her better locate where she wanted to be. As they approached the edge of the forest, they spotted the swan fox spirit. They walked up to it and it's eyed started to glow again, but only a dim glow. It turned and walked into the forest. Korra and Asami followed, cautious of their surroundings. The trees became thicker the further they got. Eventually it became near impossible to get any deeper, the trees formed a wall of trunks. The swan fox climbed high into a tree then dived behind the wall. The girls looked to each other, then proceeded to do the same. Korra was the first to try. As she reached above the main bodies of the trees, she saw that on the other side was a clearing. Only a stump stood in the centre. She jumped down from the trees, landing softly on the other side. She looked up and saw Asami swinging her legs over. She jumped down and let Korra catch her by the hips. They turned to the stump. Nothing else was within the circle created by the trees. They couldn't even work out where the light came from that made it so easy for them to see.

"Where did the spirit go?" Asami asked, puzzled. Korra remained silent. She made her way towards the tree stump and stopped in front of it. She looked back to Asami and reached out her hand. Asami quickly ran up to her and took her hand. Korra then leapt onto the stump, pulling Asami up with her. The forest around them suddenly began to shift. The circle of trees started to converge on the stump, gradually getting smaller and smaller. The light started to die away into a slight dim. Almost as soon as it closed around them, the trees shot away from them in every direction, each tree coming to a halt at random and shocking places. Korra and Asami looked to each tree, wondering if any more were going to move. For a moment they believed they saw another shift. But then saw the man. His hair was grey and tied up at the back. His skin was also a grey, they noted. A pale grey, as if he had been in darkness for a long time. He wore clothes that reminded the two of an age from long ago, but even they were of a shade of grey.

"You should not have come here" he said calmly "but I am glad you did, Avatar" he approached the two girls, offering them a hand off of the stump. Korra looked at his hand and pretended to ignore it, jumping down without his help. She held her hand out for Asami, who took it.

"I want answers right now" Korra demanded. "What happened to the spirits? Where did they go?"

"I believe they are in their own forests" he replied.

"No, they were here. I saw them. You sent your swan fox spirit to bring me here" Korra retorted.

"I assure you, the swan foxes did that of their own accord. They wanted your help. I on the other hand have been trying to keep you safe" he explained. Korra looked him up and down, noting he wasn't posing himself as a threat.

"What do you mean by their own forests?" she asked.

"Each creature, spirit or human, has their own forest here. It is the Forest of Hidden Pasts. Anything you want to hide can be put here, for only you to find. The spirits are in their forests, hidden away, forever" Korra paused to consider what he was saying. She glanced at the man again, her mind focusing on one question. She tightened her grip on Asami's hand absent mindedly.

"If only I can find my own forest... then who are you?" the moment froze. All Korra could hear was her own breathe, quivering in doubt.

"Avatar Korra... My name is Satish... I was an Earthbender, born and raised in Taku. A very long time ago..." he stated each fact, like listing off a checklist. Korra remained quiet, hoping to hear what she needed. "Back in my day... I was the Avatar"


End file.
